Submitted by Gene Helfman, Weekly contributor.
The Lopez High School soccer team had their best regular season in decades, finishing with 11 wins and two losses. In two much-anticipated October matches, the Lobos defeated one quality opponent and narrowly lost to another. The Lobos faced Providence Classical Christian at home in what was expected to be a close match. Lopez took control early in the first period with a goal by Jacob Velazquez-Velazco, as he headed the ball into the Providence net after a throw-in by Ethan Patrick. Lopez’ second goal came on a solo run by Andris Meissner down the left side, the half ending Lopez 2, Providence nil. Velazquez-Velazco added another goal in the second period. Providence’s sole goal happened late in the game, but the Lobos’ three goals put the game out of reach, moving the Lobos to a 7-win, 0-loss season!
Lopez next traveled to Orcas Island against the 9-1 Vikings. The weather couldn’t have been much worse: gale-force winds, sideways rain, high 40s temperatures. Play started at a furious pace, halted only by the collapse of the referee, a scary moment. The EMTs were called and the ref slowly regained consciousness and was helped off the field and airlifted to safety. The game was restarted and much of it was played in front of the Orcas goal, with several Lopez shots just missing the mark. The half ended tied, nil-nil. Orcas came out in the second period on the attack, forcing Lopez keeper Jacob Sanford to make multiple saves. Orcas finally scored on a shot high into the right corner, just past Sanford’s fingertips. The Vikings went on defense and held off the Lobos attack. The game ended Orcas 1, Lopez 0.
The season continued with a 2-0 shutout against LaConner, a 3-1 win against Coupeville and a 4-0 shutout against Cedar Park. Scoring was led by Velazquez-Velazco with four goals, Patrick with three and Meissner with two; Nikolai Kazakov, Oliver Rick, Henry Robles, Meissner and Patrick were credited with assists. Senior night was played against Mount Vernon Christian in a frustrating 1-0 loss, but the celebration for the seniors afterward was beautiful. The Lobos finished the regular season with a 6-0 win against Grace Academy. Meissner scored twice, as did Patrick, with goals added by Rafa Velazquez and Benji Stephenson; Meissner, Patrick and Robles contributed assists. This was Huck Henderson’s first time as keeper, making the shutout that much more significant (as always, aided by excellent play by the defense).
Putting things in perspective, last year Lopez scored 12 times, against 25 goals allowed. This year, the Lobos scored 54 times in 13 matches, while allowing only seven goals by opponents. Coach Mycah Kraushaar reflected on the 11-win, 2-loss season, saying, “These boys have really had a Cinderella story of a season. Their perseverance through the last few developmental seasons made such a difference, and the senior leadership this season has contributed deeply to our success. They’ve left everything they had on the field every game, leaned well on each other, and invested themselves in training. We can’t wait to see how far we move through districts!”
